Whonix ™ - Superior Internet Privacy

From Whonix

Superior Internet Privacy

Whonix Desktop

Learn What Is Whonix?

Whonix gives your desktop
check Maximum privacy and anonymity on the Internet
check More reliably and securely than any other tool on the market!

Download, Install, Run - 100% FREE

Whonix ™ runs like an app inside your operating system - keeping you safe and anonymous. Whonix is available for

Is Whonix safer than VPNs?

Whonix VPNs
Hidden IP address (basic) Your IP address acts as a global unique identifier which is linked to your real identity. Any website or server you are connecting to knows your IP address. Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) keep a log of IP addresses assigned to you and when you used them. The IP address reveals your approximate physical location to any destination you connect to. YES YES
Hidden Identity Even if your IP is hidden trackers can use "Fingerprinting" techniques to identify you.

Hiding your identity is harder than just hiding your IP!

Whonix protects from browser fingerprinting, and website traffic fingerprinting.
YES NO
No Logging Whonix cannot log user IP addresses or activity. This is due to a fundamental architecture design decision to keep maximum user privacy.

Most VPNs have a policy of not storing any user data. But if they were forced to do so they could start storing user data easily.
By Design By Policy
Leak Shield Even if a connection is tunneled it can be hijacked inside the browser. One leaky connection already compromises the user's anonymity. Whonix has a watertight leak shield.

Some VPN providers also have a fail-closed mechanism however the quality varies very much and fails against malware.
YES Limited
Server Relays avg. The servers used for tunneling MUST NOT know the user. This is only possible if there are several independent servers as relays on a strict need-to-know basis and onion-layered encryption.

Some VPN providers provide double VPN but it’s still the same provider and lacks distributed trust by design.
4 1
Virus / Malware Protection A malware free system is crucial because a lot malware is stealing the user's data and identity. Whonix is based on Kicksecure, a hardened, well documented Linux so the user is already safer.

Some VPN subscriptions contain anti-malware scanners but their capability is limited. A better approach is to prevent any malware from entering the system through security hardening and knowledge.
YES SOME
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Keyboard Typing Cloak Trackers can identify their targets by their keyboard typing style. Whonix prevents this kind of attack. YES NO
Timestamp Attack Protection Trackers can identify their targets by minimal divergence from the standard time in the network requests called time attacks. Whonix prevents this kind of attack. YES NO
App Stream Isolation In Whonix distinct pre-installed applications are routed through different network paths for maximum security. YES NO
Open Source / Freedom Whonix has a full dedication to Open Source and Freedom Software. Only some VPNs have open source elements and even less are fully Open Source. YES SOME
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Trusted by Security Experts

For the even more paranoid, there is a lesser-known Tor-enabled OS called Whonix
I use Qubes and a Whonix gateway literally everyday 1 2 3
Whonix adds a layer of anonymity to your business tasks.
Whonix is about as anonymous as an OS can get before it all becomes too inconvenient for normal use.
This split design allows the user to remain completely anonymous and mitigates the risk of DNS leaks, which reveal private information such as your web browsing history.
Whonix, an operating system you can run in a virtual machine to maximize your online anonymity; it’s ideal for maintaining a secret identity.

See even more positive reviews →

Das linux-basierte Betriebssystem Whonix setzt von Anfang an auf Sicherheit.
Whonix protects user anonymity by routing internet connections through Tor’s network.
Tarnkappe - Mit Whonix anonym im Internet surfen
Viele Webseiten verfolgen ihre Besucher mit ausgeklügelten Trackingmechanismen. Whonix macht Schluss damit, ohne dass man Browser-Einstellungen ändern muss.
The Internet was not designed with anonymity in mind, but things have changed. Anonymity has become a necessary and legitimate objective in many applications.

Watertight Privacy Architecture

Whonix functionality illustration

Whonix handles all your activity in a virtual machine and forces all Internet traffic through the Tor network to provide the strongest protection of your IP address.

Fully Featured with Advanced Security Components

21 more amazing features →

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Connections are forced through Tor. DNS leaks are impossible, and even malware with root privileges cannot discover the user's real IP address. Leak tested through corridor (Tor traffic whitelisting gateway) and other leak tests.

Booting into VM Live Mode is as simple as choosing Live Mode in the boot menu. Alternatively Debian, Kicksecure and perhaps other Debian-based hosts can boot their existing host operating system into Host Live Mode.

Whonix utilizes Tor, which provides an open and distributed relay network to defend against network surveillance. Unlike Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Tor provides anonymity by design and removes trust from the equation.

Whonix is based on Kicksecure ™ which is a security-hardened Linux distribution.

Whonix is based on Kicksecure ™ which is a security-hardened Linux distribution.

Our Firewall is configured specifically for anonymously and securely using the Internet. It is configured for anonymous Tor ® use.

Keystrokes can be used to track users. To prevent this, Whonix comes with kloak installed by default

Run Android applications using Anbox (outdated) or Whonix-Custom-Workstation using Android x86.

Whonix provides additional security hardening measures and user education to provide better protection from viruses.

Whonix provides additional security hardening measures and user education to provide better protection from viruses.

AppArmor profiles restrict the capabilities of commonly used, high-risk applications such as Tor Browser.

Distinct applications are routed through different paths in the Tor network.

Time attacks on Whonix users are defeated by Boot Clock Randomization and secure network time synchronization through sdwdate (Secure Distributed Web Date).

Whonix provides vanguards against guard discovery and related traffic analysis attacks.

Learn more about our Linux User Account Separation security-misc .

Learn more about our anonymity, privacy and security settings pre-configuration anon-apps-config .

The more you know, the safer you can be: Extensive Whonix Documentation

Our vibrant Whonix community features Forums, Contributors and RSS

Console Lockdown disables legacy login methods and thereby improves security hardening.

Tor Browser is optimized for anonymity and millions of daily users help you blend in with the crowd. Visit any destination including modern websites such as YouTube.

Running low on RAM isn't a security problem. swap-file-creator will create an encrypted swap file.

Better encryption thanks to preinstalled random number generators.

Whonix is the safest way to Host Location Hidden Services / Onion Services .

tor-ctrl-observer shows connection information of applications using Tor.

A canary confirms that no warrants have ever been served on the Whonix project.

In oversimplified terms, Whonix is just a collection of configuration files and scripts. Whonix is not a stripped down version of Debian; anything possible in "vanilla" Debian GNU/Linux can be replicated in Whonix. About Whonix

Downloads are signed so genuine Whonix releases can be verified.

We have successfully protected our users against Real World Attacks for more than 10 years. With the next decade in mind, we are constantly improving Whonix privacy and security.

All the Whonix source code is licensed under OSI Approved Licenses. We respect user rights to review, scrutinize, modify, and redistribute Whonix. This improves security and privacy for everyone.

Whonix is Freedom Software and contains software developed by the Free Software Foundation and the GNU Project.

Research and Implementation Project: Whonix makes modest claims and is wary of overconfidence. Whonix is an actively maintained research project making constant improvements; no shortcomings are ever hidden from users.

Whonix is independently verifiable by security experts and software developers around the world; you don’t have to trust developer claims. This improves security and privacy for everyone.

Whonix respects data privacy principles. We don’t make advertising deals or collect sensitive personal data. There are no artificial restrictions imposed on possible system configurations .